No planet b = we have to keep this planet healthy, because it’s our one and only home back behind the wheel = to seat driver’s seat, driving a car ditch = throw away, get rid of, abandon green = environmentally friendly, non polluting

No planet B = we have to keep this planet healthy, because it’s our one and only home


back behind the wheel = to seat driver’s seat, driving a car


ditch = throw away, get rid of, abandon
green = environmentally friendly, non polluting
I ditched my car months ago in an effort to be greener,


reluctantly = in an unwilling and hesitant way
I’m reluctantly driving again,


take a plunge = make an important decision
I took the plunge and got rid of my car.


reliant = dependent (juda bog’lanib qolgan, yashashi uchun zarur, davom etishi uchun zarur)
less reliant on private vehicles.


earmark = make, set aside (mo’ljallamoq, muayyan maqsad uchun ajratib qo’ymoq)
I joined a car-share scheme and earmarked the not inconsiderable sum of money


ease = reduce, lighten, diminish
yearn = desire, want, long for smth
When lockdown eased, it just got worse. We yearned to escape to the countryside or beach,


mind-boggling = astonishing, breaktaking
The car-share scheme turned out to be mind-bogglingly complicated – every London borough has its own rules


hybrid = mixed, blend
I looked into electric cars and hybrids,


aspire = desire, hope for
spew = emit, discharge, release
I still aspire to be able to travel without spewing greenhouse gases


U-turn = one-eighty, a change of plan
So last month I did a U-turn and bought a car.


contraption = device, machine, invention
comprise = consist of, contain, include
scrapheap = junk
possess a big contraption comprising metal, glass, plastic, rubber, fabric and oil that will one day end up on a scrapheap – or possibly become a wheezy rust bucket


gear up = prepare, be ready
The world is still not geared up for car-free living.


tune in = listen, watch
tuned in to an online seminar


embed = set, fix, place
“ Unfortunately, the car is deeply embedded in our way of life as the core of a sociotechnical system”


creak = squeak; complain
it was starting to creak under the weight of overcrowded roads


fleet – avtopark
autonomous = independent, self-governing
a shared fleet of autonomous vehicles powered by renewable electricity.


a trigger = a cause, a reason
Crises are often a trigger for socio-technical transitions


draw attention = attract, interest, capture
downside = negative sides
mass = general, universal, widespread
mobility = relocate, move away
Life in a pandemic has drawn attention to some of the downsides of mass mobility,


recalibrate = recheck, reexamine
It has also emphasised our need to recalibrate our relationship with the environment


nudge = encourage, prompt
nudge us towards cycling and walking more.


propell = drive or push smth forwards
new cycle lanes, are propelling us in the same direction.


a game changer = an event, or procedure that effects a significant shift in the current way of doing smth
It could be a game changer for the environment.


submit = claim, present, propose
I reluctantly submit my answer: not very, and driving in the wrong direction.


Useful chunks:

I live in London within walking distance of three tube stations and countless bus stops.

I couldn’t get a supermarket delivery slot
somebody stole my bike from a supposedly secure lock-up.
I’ve already put a few hundred miles on the clock.
The unwillingness of individuals to risk that trip, has meant that the ownership and use of a car has become quite a useful thing
taking public transport or a taxi felt like too much of a risk.
In this scenario, nobody owns a car or even drives one.
Current circumstances have turbocharged the question of how far we really are down the road to that transition.